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Chelsea Grin - My Damnation [Album]

Artery Records

by AEaston, September 12th, 2011 and has been Read 1877 times.
Last Edited by: Jack Stovin September 12th, 2011.

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This is a dying genre. This whole deathcore, metalcore, whatever-core genre is on its knees; it has been ever since someone dreamt it all up, albeit a couple of successful bands. But even these bands matured out of the genre into something else, whether it be heavier or into more mainstream metal. So what we have left is a collection of bands that continue to produce this kind of dying music. However, there are still some great 'core bands out there, you can’t deny it. Bands such as Job For A Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder and Suicide Silence are some of the foremost pioneers of this genre. And still, new bands are still being established, dedicated to the genre - one of these newer bands is Chelsea Grin, a Utah-based sextet who are impressing with their brand of damning, heart-clenching metal. Their debut album, Desolation of Eden, proved to be a massive hit, propelling them to front line of all the 'core genres, as one of the beacons of the future. Now, in 2011, four years after their conception, Chelsea Grin have released their new album, entitled My Damnation.

My Damnation starts with the furious “The Foolish One”, like something you’d expect coming from the lungs of a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. “Behind A Veil of Lies” has the best chorus on the album with a hellish chant of “Why the fuck am I here?”, followed by the haunting acoustic interlude of “Kharon”. Next is the satanic hammer-blow that is the title-track (which you can listen to above), “My Damnation”, a thrashy metal titan, including the first guitar solo and some stupendous drumming. “Calling In Silence” is a firm track, worthy of its place on My Damnation, followed by “Last Breath” and ending on the strong “All Hail The Fallen King”.

The vocals are probably the highlight of the album, varying from growls you expect to hear from a grizzly bear and screams you expect to hear at Alton Towers. Alex Koehler has a great voice for this kind of dirty, heavy music. When you combine this with the damning metalcore riffs from guitarists Michael Stafford, Jacob May-Harmond and Daniel Jones (oh yeah, three guitarists!), the result is like a blow to the head with Jupiter. Another thing, or rather person, I should say, that I’m gonna bang on about is the drummer, Andrew Carlston. I often praise drummers in this brand of music, because the parts are so fast and so complicated, it takes a lot of skill to pull it off. So yet again, another impeccable performance from another metal drummer. My Damnation offers brilliant song structure, with strong riffs and superb musicianship - what more could you ask for?

What My Damnation is lacking is a bit of “holy shit, this is good”

The issue I have with My Damnation is that it is rather dull. I say ‘dull’, I mean it’s more generic and uninteresting, rather than Leonard Cohen-style dull. That man could kill you with his music, like one of those scenes where people become skeletons in mere seconds. No, Chelsea Grin aren’t quite at that level - but their music on My Damnation doesn’t make me tap my foot or nod my head. Instead I’m sitting here, waiting for the end, because quite frankly, I’m bored of hearing the same song repeated ten times. What My Damnation is lacking is a bit of “holy shit, this is good”, there is no wow factor at all. And it’s quite a shame, because I actually want to like it, I can hear the effort and hard work Chelsea Grin put into the album.

What do you say about the most average death-metalcore album in all of history? There are some good songs and some mediocre songs. The musicianship is alright and the vocals are okay. It won’t light up your world, but My Damnation won’t make it any darker either. Rather than a fly hitting your eye, for example, it merely bounces off your anorak without you noticing a thing. This is My Damnation. Or should I say, this is Chelsea Grin.



Track-listing:
1. The Foolish One
2. Everlasting Sleep
3. Behind A Veil of Lies
4. Kharon
5. My Damnation
6. Cursed
7. Calling In Silence
8. Oblivion
9. Last Breath
10. All Hail The Fallen King